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as in paradox
someone or something with qualities or features that seem to conflict with one another a loving father as well as a ruthless killer, the gangster is a living contradiction

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of contradiction But the contradiction was apparent for anyone willing to scratch the surface: the three public suspensions and one defection from the Pentagon’s top ranks were all, until very recently, Hegseth loyalists. Philip Elliott, Time, 22 Apr. 2025 The way the film swims through the contradictions, considerations, and cultural reverie of the rural South is genuinely enlivening. Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 18 Apr. 2025 No surprise here—for the life of the Church, like that of each Christian, reaches redemption by taking on the shape of the Cross: the universal sign of contradiction, even unto herself. Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Apr. 2025 This contradiction between rhetoric and reality cannot be ignored. Jeffrey Gahler, Baltimore Sun, 24 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for contradiction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contradiction
Noun
  • This theory of form contains a paradox in practice.
    Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 10 May 2025
  • California’s climb to the world’s fourth-largest economy marks a milestone and illustrates a paradox.
    Aref Aziz, Mercury News, 9 May 2025
Noun
  • That worries both Da Rien and Johnston, who fear the designation could be used to justify deportations of Haitians or visa denials.
    Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 1 May 2025
  • Holocaust denial has started cropping up on major podcasts including Tucker Carlson’s and Joe Rogan’s.
    Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 1 May 2025
Noun
  • Out of the 60,000 babies born in New Zealand last year, there were 71 rejections, according to an Official Information Act inquiry.
    Charna Flam, People.com, 10 May 2025
  • Largely unknown, with few public remarks, Souter was considered a politically palatable choice as the contentious Senate rejection of Reagan nominee Robert Bork three years earlier still rattled Washington.
    Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 10 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Contradiction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contradiction. Accessed 13 May. 2025.

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